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[TV series] Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket

TV Series, 2001, Funimation Entertainment (English), 26 episodes

Genre: Romance, Comedy

AKA.Furuba

Plot Synopsis:

Tohru Honda is a Teenage girl who, a year after her mother’s death finds her self homeless and living in a tent. This tent happens to be on the property of the Sohma family, a rather large and wealthy family. As she is walking to school one day she notices a house closeby and that living in that house is Yuki Sohma, the “Prince” of her school. He walks her to school and later that evening her “home” is destroyed. Yuki and his Cousin Shigure invite Tohru to stay with them. Eventually they are joined by Kyo Sohma and at this point Tohru learns the big Sohma family secret! That certain members of the Sohma family are cursed and whenever they are hugged by members of the opposite sex they transform into the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac! (Plus the cat) As the series goes on Tohru meets more of those cursed by the Zodiac, but what the Sohma family is shocked to learn is how much they grow to need Tohru.

Story (10/10) I was enchanted by the use of the Chinese Zodiac woven into this storyline. Most of the story deals either Yuki or Kyo’s various problems (either apart or with each other, as they enjoy an intense rivalry) and how Tohru handles them and makes it better, or with her meeting the other members of the Zodiac and how she befriends them. One thing that should be noted is that the series kind of ends on a question mark. The curse isn’t lifted and there is no notion that it will be any time soon (You would have to look to the manga for that)

Characters: (9/10) There is a lot of Angst filled characters Fruits Basket. Considering what they deal with this is not altogether unexpected. However they are all nicely drawn and the only thing I would have to say (and it is even addressed in the anime) is it amazes me somewhat that considering Tohru’s life that she is always smiling. That seems a tad unrealistic, but then I have known people who were like that in real life. Sooner or later they will probably break down. Poor Tohru. Also the minor characters are also very well done and are very easy to get attached to.

Art/Animation: (9/10) I always thought the animation was light and pretty. Almost like it was painted with watercolors. The only thing that ever bothered me was when Tohru ever got seriously bothered then she was distorted. This actually only bothered me when it was done during a serious moment, like when either Kyo or Yuki was spilling his guts to her. It was distracting.

Voice Acting/Music: (8/10) To suit the Anime’s tone, the music is very lightly scored and subtle. However it is very repetitive. On the flip side of that it is rather catchy and can and will get stuck in your head.

Overall: (9/10) This is an anime that I enjoyed very much. It is light hearted, although there are some dark moments scattered here and there. The characters are easy to connect to, and the plot is believable even though it is shrouded in fantasy.

Story (7/10): I'm really glad that they stuck with the manga plot and everything, it's just that they ended the anime series so early while there are still more mangas coming out as we speak! Though the whole Chinese Zodiac Story is very mesmorizing, and makes you think how you are related to your zodiac. They did a good job with the storyline, just wished that they could have waited to end their series until the manga series were finished as well.

Characters (8/10): Like the storyline, they didn't add all of the characters, but nonetheless a great anime.

Art (9/10): The animators did a very, VERY, good job on coloring and animating the characters. The colors and hairstyles fit the person's personality very well. Not to mention like any other anime, they change clothing styles every once in a while. That's what I look for, because no one wears the same thing over and over again! (example: InuYasha, there were rare moments when someone wore something different.) On the other side of the coin, when Tohru freaks out, she kinda looks like a zombie...shame on you animators for making Tohru look bad!

Voice/Music (7/10): Some of the music were very, very, repetitive, because some of the songs that they played in the anime were just variations of the song "Memory at Home". Also on the english dub, Tohru's voice, when she feels guilty or is simply pondering in her head, she kinda sounds like she is whining. Although, the music was trancing, when the music enters as Tohru ponders, it makes you ponder as well. Perfect theme song for every person too!

Overall (7/10): Don't get me wrong, seven is a really good score for me! As I am the most deepest anime/manga critic. The anime was very well thought, for examples how the art would fit this story, how the characters make you feel are probably even around you, and whole view of the anime seems to make you feel that you are somewhat special. Fruits Basket [Anime Version] receives a 7 out of 10.

Story (8/10) At times I was confused why certains things happened in the way they did.What also botherd me was that unlike the manga only a few characters were shown.I did like the idea of the stroy but it could have been better if they had made it longer.

Characters (9/10) They were very original and kept my interest.The faces and hair styles fit perfectly with the characters personality.

Art/Animation (10/10) I LOVE the art they did a very good job on it and that just might be my favorite thing about this anime.

Voice Acting/Music (8/10) Well the voices fit well with the characters and the music was nice but it still feels wierd to me,not sure why?

Overall (8/10) Well I was mad that they never gave a good ending.I mean after watching all 26 episodes they leave me wondering about what happened next.When you wacth a anime all the way to the last episode it never leaves you wondering what happened next but with Fruits Basket I had thousounds of questions.

story: 8/10 very interesting storyline, i like the way they have used the Chinese zodiac, the plot was simple and short but i think most anime should be made longer

characters: 8/10 each character is unique and come from different backgrounds so i think that makes the story even more interesting

voice 10/10 the voices are perfect for the type of person, e.g. kyo is always angry >=D so his voice is deep and loud

art/animation 9/10 i think the animations were one of the greatest aspects of the anime, the colors were really well chosen for the style of anime, they are soft and gentle

overall 9/10 a great anime, definitely recommend but the ending is appalling like some people have already said, when it finished, i had to check that was the final one because it ended without giving any notice about what happened

Woah, Fruits Basket is one of my favourite anime! I really like Kyo and Tohru.

Story: 9/10 I've told you it's one of my favourite anime. It's very witty and funny, plus I've never watched anime that uses Chinese zodiac before. So that's a plus.

Characters: 9/10 Hoho, what can I say? I love them all! Well, maybe except Akito but she's like that because of her past. I kinda understand that but then again, maybe she's over-exaggerating.

Voice: 9/10 This, I'm not very sure. I've heard both versions; English and Japanese and of course, I prefer Japanese voice. They're more emotional, if you ask me.

Art/animation: 8/10 I like this shoujo anime. So no doubt I like the arts too. Well, except that sometimes, I think their heads are big, especially girls. But I think that's cute.

Overall: 8/10 I kinda don't agree with the ending. What's that, has the curse been broken or not? Akito has become a good person? Nah, I don't think so. So I'm trying to read the manga version. Compared to manga and anime version, I prefer manga version though.

Story (9/10)
I like the chinese zodiac and all, but I really hate the romance part. But it's pretty funny.
Characters (9/10)
The characters are so beautifully created. They all look so sexy.
Voice (8/10)
I don't like Tohru's voice in english. It sounds so annoying.
Art/animation (9/10)
I like it. Real japanese animation. There's something I don't like about it, but I don't know.
Overall: 8/10
It's so frustrating to read a manga, but when it comes to anime, some characters are different. Like Akito being a boy or girl.

---Sorry I am currently inactive; very busy with this new Filipino school x.x they are seriously trying to kill me--

Tohru Honda is a Teenage girl who, a year after her mother’s death finds her self homeless and living in a tent. This tent happens to be on the property of the Sohma family, a rather large and wealthy family. As she is walking to school one day she notices a house closeby and that living in that house is Yuki Sohma, the “Prince” of her school. He walks her to school and later that evening her “home” is destroyed. Yuki and his Cousin Shigure invite Tohru to stay with them. Eventually they are joined by Kyo Sohma and at this point Tohru learns the big Sohma family secret! That certain members of the Sohma family are cursed and whenever they are hugged by members of the opposite sex they transform into the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac! (Plus the cat) As the series goes on Tohru meets more of those cursed by the Zodiac, but what the Sohma family is shocked to learn is how much they grow to need Tohru.

Story (10/10) it has a good solid plot. love the idea of the characters being the animals of the chinese zodiac. The manga tended to be a lot better than the anime. should have finished it. but other than that the story is awesome.!

Characters: (9/10) A lot of characters have characteristics of the animals of the chinese zodiac. its sda how tohru's parents died but without that she wouldnt have met Kyo and Yuki.

Art/Animation: (10.5/10) I love the animation!!! probably one of the best out there i have seen. the colors used are really nice.

Voice Acting/Music: (8/10) To suit the Anime’s tone, the music is very lightly scored and subtle. However it is very repetitive. On the flip side of that it is rather catchy and can and will get stuck in your head.

Overall: (110/100) This is an anime that I enjoyed very much. I reccomend this anime to anyone!

Story: 6/10
It's very typical shoujo. Not the best, even in its own genre but the idea of having the characters turn to animals when shown affection is cute but not very original. Think Ranma 1/2. LOL

Characters: 7/10
Again, very typical. I get confused sometimes because the characters within the series are homogenous. They can either be the perky type, the dark, silent, serious type or the normal, slightly shy clumsy type. There are lots of characters but they all fall in either one of the 3 categories mentioned.

Animation: 7/10
It's normal except that I don't get the expressionless eyes.

Music: 5/10
I didn't like the themes one bit. Sorry. The voice acting is okay though.

Overall: 6.25
There are some memorable moments in the anime but the anime itself as a whole isn't.

This anime would have been a lot better if they had properly finished it and gone to the end of the manga with it. That aside, the storyline is generally okay. There's nothing particularly exceptional about it, even despite the curse of the Sohma family. But it still works because of the strength of the characters.

Characters:
I think these are a strong bunch as a whole. Even the more irritating (in my view) of the Sohma family are well defined (although, well, irritating). Hanajima Saki is a stroke of genius. Kyou and Yuki are beautiful. Hatori is classic. Ayame is insane. Shigure is amusing. Tohru verges on being mary sue from time to time but yet somehow it's forgivable...

Overall, the characters are the strength of this anime.

Music/Seiyuu etc:
I don't really go much for the themes for this show, although they're not too bad.

I also don't like Yuki's japanese voice much in this. The English one is better. Unfortunately mixing and matching is not possible (sigh).

Seki Tomokazu as Kyou...need I say more on that subject? (<---hopeless bias alert!)

Story:10/10-Well thought out, very complex and surprising, funny at times and what i want in an anime
Characters: 9/10-you get a real in-depth look into the characters pasts and they a really thought out and interesting, a few characters got on my nerbes to start with but really grew on me.
Art/Animation: 10/10-loved it, great animation and expressions
music; 7/10: can be abit boring and annoying but its okay if you dont listen to it too much
overall: 10/10- Great anime, one of my tops and i would reccomend it, the manga is better but you cant fit everything from the books into the shows.

story: 10/10 I really like the story line, even though I was disappointed when I learned there wouldn't be more than 26 (or 25) episodes. I've read the manga and I think they didn't screw it up for the anime, but I think they could go for more episodes because we don't know everything yet and I found it pretty frustrating. The fact that this is a story about the chinese zodiac and a whole family affected by such a curse is really good.

characters: 10/10 The characters' psychologies are pretty well developed, there are a lot of different characters and I love them all, especially Ayame and Shigure that are really funny. Kyo and Tohru are my favorites, though.

Voices: English 7/10: Tohru's voice sounds to annoying and stupid to listen to. I was stunned when I heard it.
Japanese: 9/10 Tohru's better in this version, but there it is Yuki's that is too weird. Maybe it's because I don't look at japanese animes lastly, but the others are pretty good.

art/animation: 8/10: Animations are good, I especially like the faces and expressions when they are angry at each other in the anime. Particularly Kyo and Yuki when they fight.

overall: 10/10 Yeah, I really loved that anime when I saw it, even though english version sounded pretty awkward. I give it a hundred percent of appreciation^^

Story: 10/10 Its a really interesting plot, and the curse that they have tht seems so light and funny actually holds a lot of pain and of course angst haha XD But for instance Momiji, the person who is most comfortable with his curse has actually had to go through the pain of losing his mother because of it, it's stuff like tht that actually make you realize what an impact it would have on people's lives

Characters: 10/10 there is a lot of balance between the personality of each character. Kyo with a wild temper, Tohru who is super sweet and innocent and Yuki who is calm and gentle. And of course the family quirks who a lot of people can relate to, everyone has to be doing something XD My favorite character, personally is Yuki and it really bugged me that they didn't do more background on him, even though he has a very sad past in the manga, it was almost as if a majority of the series was about Kyo, which isn't bad, they just need more balance between the character's lives

Themes/Voices: 8/10 I almost never listen to the bg music because its so light, but I really like that, that the music isn't in your face... the english theme is crap though they should've just stuck with the japanese theme even for the dubbed epis. Even though some voices come off as annoying they really do fit the characters except for Akito. Akito sounds more like a PMSy teenager then a dark sinister head of the family, they could've done a lot better job of picking his voice

Art/animation: 9/10 I like the animation a lot, although at some points it seems rather bleak, i feel an anime this upbeat should be more colorful and for some reason it bugs me tht the poofs when they are hugged are a little too.... real, but that's just me XD

Another raiting

Fruits Basket. Now there is one for the love birds. I was actually quite impressed with this one. I am a man, a real man... I believe in instincts above all else and like my share of violence with honor. Ok, pouring it on a bit thick? Ill stop.
Long story short my girlfriend made me watch this one. I "owed" her for taking her to see jet-lee's last movie where he gets poisoned at the end and still kicks that one samurai's *** in the fight. if orget the movie. Ultimate warrior or something along those lines. Good movie, but anyways. I watched it and was at first very upset to have to sit through yet again another girly anime all about love and kindness and peace and no nudity. For the third time in my entire life... I was wrong....

Plot: (10/10) Cleverly put, simplistic and mostly original. Using the chinese zodiac and wondering why the cat isn't a part of it then using an old legend as to why it was so. Goes through out the series a love story. Great and well done because there were hardly any fillers. In fact when i think back I can't remember if there were or not. The way an anime should be. Each episode had a point to make. Minimal flash backs and usually were to inform you of stuff that you DIDN'T see rather than the usual already happened. Love story of two guys fighting for one girl with out the word "love" appearing too much. There were good emmotional scenes rather than just emmotional scenes and the end was very interesting. One of the few plots anymore that wasn't anti-climactic. Funny and fun to watch for the male audience too. comedy, sadness, despair, mystery, and even some slap-stick. Many jokes in there that weren't just for the girls. Don't want to give too much away for those who haven't seen it yet or seen all of it but it is original and not too long. Everything good, nothing that isn't. Deffinately one to add to any anime collection.

Overall consistency and flow (10/10): Nowhere in this series did I get lost, have to stop and review a previous episode, or have to be all "Where the hell did that scene come from?" Everything went smoothly and coherantly. Well rounded for all ages and sexes. Didn't prolong by making retarded fillers. Kept the series only about the plot and nothing else. Did a great job on this one.

Characters (9/10): This is one of those few anime where the people actually seem like people, only animated. No one personality persons doing something random and is always right. Each main character was put in a situation where they could and sometimes were wrong. Only thing I didn't like too much was the one evil guy that wanted to erase the memory of the chick. I mean, that to me was just kind of an awkward twist that seemed a bit unneccessary. The guy was too emmotional. Ok, I guess what I mean to say is erasing the memory to save the clan was a good twist, the guy who ordered the action was a stereotypical whiney prick who can't cope with his own existence. Only down side.

Art/Animation (9/10): Nothing too new about it but wasn't glitchy and disorienting like so many of the new ones out there today. Very humorous moments using different artisitc styles. Clear and clean. Nothing to complain about but nothing too new either.

Voices (10/10): I am judging the english dubbed versions here. Great job. Very few voice overs are done well anymore. In fact Cowboy Bebop was the last one that I can truelly say was perfect. But this one, was perfect. Each character sounded like a character with their hi's and low's in each word they spoke.

Overall (9.5/10): Must see by anyone. Some guys still may not like this but for me, someone who likes to duel in real life just to gain reflexes and experience, someone who races and animates on his free time, someone who has yet to be defeated with Halo and Tekken console tournaments, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I recommend this to anyone. Especially the guys out there that "owe" your girl a series or two.

Story (10/10): The whole plot was so intresting! I love the whole chinese zodiac thing. Its very diffrent! I love how its bright and funny but still has a lot of dark parts.

Characters (10/10): All the charaters had there own paat and own personalities.I love how Shigure is always so sarcastic and funny!

Art (10/10): The animations go very well with the charateres personalities

Voice/Music (9.5/10): The music is so cute! The opening and ending theme songs are so cute and get stuck in my head! The voices arent bad. Thpugh in the Japanese version Yuki sounds a but more girly. But both english and Japanese versions are good.

Overall (10/10): Its one of the best shojo animes i've ever seen! Theres no other way to put it!

Story (10/10): It may just be that I'm a bit naïve, and it may also have something to with the fact that it was my first anime, but I thought it was the best.

Characters (9/10): I loved all the characters, and they do seem like people. But I wish they weren't so darn good! There were times when I was actually crying or I was in a funk the next day because of something that had happened... You'd think that was a good thing, but it kept distracted from tasks I was to be doing.

Art (9/10): For a cartoon the facial expressions went above and beyond to show what they were feeling. I loved the little annoyed mark that was on the forehead. Especially when Shigure had taken his off. That was classic. Kept me laughin' for hours...

Voice/Music (8/10): I loved the songs! The beginning and ending themes were so pretty that I sat down for about an hour and wrote the English AND Japanese versions. Then I recorded them on my phone for ringtones. Te-he. I'll admit, after hearing the voices in English, trying to switch over to Japanese and watching it with sub-titles really threw me off half the time.

Overall (10/10): It was awesome! I reccomend it to anyone who has an open mind. (I have a friend who makes fun of its title, but refuses to watch it also because of the title.) Seeing as how it was my first anime, it will forever have place in my not only because of that, but because it also encouraged me to broaden my reading horizens and read my very first manga. (also FB) I thought it was a good adaptation of the books, but I wish they would remake the last episodes and keep going til Natsuki Takaya was done. It confused me after seeing the last eps. then reading that part and realizing that's not how it happened...

Voice Acting/Music: 6.5/10- I assume we're talking about the English version? I love the opening theme and some of the voices (Kyo, Haru, Kagura, Ayame.) Aside from the opening, the music isn't really anything special imo. And I much prefer Yuki, Tohru, Momiji, and Hana's Japanese voices.

Overall: 9/10- One of my fave anime series. I cried when

Tohru saw Kyo's true form and when Hatori had to erase Kana's memory.

I didn't like the changes from the original manga though, such as

Akito being a boy, a lot of important characters never showing up, and Kyo and Tohru never marrying.

Plot- 10/10
This anime drew my attention right away when I started watching it. It's filled with those great romance points we all love, and filled with an internal fight for the Sohma family. I really enjoyed watching this anime, but the manga was definitely better. I do agree with whoever said that they ended it too early, they did. There was so much more that they could have put in there, we are at Volume 21 here soon and they ended it at a very early chapter.

Characters- 10/10
The characters in Fruits Basket are all unique and well thought of. Tohru annoyed me at first, because she was too nice, because she was so sweet. Then as the anime went on, I couldn't help but to love this character. Especially when you find the reasons for why she acts that way. I really loved how each character had a past that they had to overcome /I really love dramatic things like that >.</ Tohru with her parents death, Kyo with his Mother's death and an unwanting father, then the cat's curse, Yuki with Akito's constant terror over him and of course the rest of the family with the Sohma curse.

Art/Animation- 9/10
I really loved the style of this anime, my only problem was how they changed Tohru's hair from the manga to the anime. She had wavy, and in the manga she had straight. It's not a huge problem. In the manga I loved the way they made the characters grow with time. In the Anime it was so clean and had prominant colors, it was entertaining to watch.

Voice acting/music- 6/10
For the voice acting in this anime, for English, I loved all the characters voices, only one caught me off gaurd, that was Kyo's voice. I soon got over how he sounded, because after the first episode his voice wasn't so hardly pushed /if that makes sense./ Yuki's voice in the Japanese version, was horrible. He sounded like a little boy, or a growing girl, I perfered the English version to a lot of the characters voices. The opening for Fruits Basket was great, catchy, and sweet just the story, but the music wasn't anything great.

Overall- 8/10
The whole story line is great, the characters are easy to relate to and fun. The voice acting doesn't really affect anything, because with either anime you get so used to the characters sounding such a way that it doesn't matter. The art was really well done. The anime didn't finish, even though it seems it did, they didn't introduce all of the Zodiac members, and cut out many important scenes. Who knows? Maybe we can get them to contenue?

Story (10/10) I was hooked from the start. Right off I could tell this wasnt a overused/stale plot, is was fresh and original. The story is magnificent, the twists, the sad parts, the happy parts, they all got to me. This is the first anime that actually made me cry. The cruelness of Akito, and mistreatment of tohru in her family. The stress of being unwanted with Kyo, the stress of being normal and loved by Yuki. It all got to me.

Characters: (10/10) All the character's seemed real to me. The happy go lucky girl Tohru, who was always happy even in her unlucky life. The problems she encounters. Kyo who wnats to fit in and be loved...Yuki who wants to be carefree like Kyo...Everyone had there own personalities and wants and that made the characters seem real to me. Tough Hiro, Little Kisa, Loud Kana, Kawaii Momiji, Strange Ayame, Curel...Akito, Detached Hatori, Shii-Chan...well he's just shii-chan =]. All these characters and more, had a impact on me.

Art/Animation: (9/10) The animation was beautiful, bright cheerful colors, pretty character desgins. Perfect for a anime based on a shojo manga.

Voice Acting/Music: (9/10) I must admit, some voices I did not care for in the English version. Tohru's voice suited her perfectly, So did Shii-Chan, Hatori, Yuki, Kyo, well most fo them. But Ayame, Kagura, and a few others did not seem to fit them very well...

Overall: (10/10) Overall this is my favorite anime/manga. It has the best story, characters, art, voices, everything. If you have never seen this anime then you are missing alot. This anime will touch you =]

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul." - Judy Garland

My review

Story (10/10)
A very funny and moving story, and gives a good lesson on the story of the Chinese zodiac. Tohru's story is just heart-wrenching, but all that could easily go away with the entertainment of the show.

Characters (9/10)
Cute, quirky characters XD But in the Japanese version, Yuki sounds like a girl...O.o

Art (10/10):
The graphics resemble that of many anime, I love it! It is very beautiful ^.^

Voice/Music (7/10):
Beautiful music, but theres no theme song in the English version!

Overall (9/10): A beautiful anime and manga, as well as it being funny and entertains viewers from the first episode to the last page of manga ^_^

Story (8/10): I'm glad that they stayed with the manga plot. But it made me made how they ended it, I wish they would've kept it going.

Characters (9/10): They used a good majority of characters. But they left out some.

Art (10/10): Out of all the anime I have seen(which is quit alot) I think Fruits Basket has had the best art/animation. The character were made very well, very detailed. And I'm glad how they didn't wear the same thing all the time like they do in a lot of other animes.

Voice/Music (7/10): In my opinion, I thought the theme song and the ending songs were kinda annoying. But I loved the instument tune ones. They did pretty good on getting the right tune at the right spot.

Overall (10/10): I loved this anime and I suggest that everyone who's anyone should try it out. I'm postive you'd love it! Most guys usually won't get into this anime cause it's evolved more around drama and it's more girlie. But I have met some guys who have liked it before. Fruits Basket (TV Version) get's a 10 outta 10 from me.

Story (9/10):
Altogether, ther story is good, but some of it gets confusing. It took me a while to realize that Akito was a boy. Also, when they made the anime, Akito was a girl, which I didn't like either.
I also think that the anime should have gone farther into the manga than it did.
The love triangle between Touru, Kyo, and Yuki is also very entertaining. It manages to be funny, tragic, and romantic all at the same time. ^_^

Characters (10/10):
Every character had his/her own personality, and they grow as the story progresses. The characters are so real, and it makes you feel as if you are a part of the story.

Art/Animation (9/10):
The art work was done well, and the color schemes seemed to work with the story.

Overall (9/10):
I recomend this anime/manga to anyone who hasn't seen/read it. It's deffinately one of my all time favorite's.